The tenth batch of the Chinese medical team on Thursday donated medical supplies and equipment to the country’s main referral, Juba Teaching Hospital.
Victoria Anib Majur, undersecretary for the ministry of health, said the medical supplies and equipment arrived at the time when the Health Pooled Fund (HPF), the largest donor financing mechanism for healthcare in South Sudan, cut budgetary support.
She said that the modernization of Juba Teaching Hospital would not have taken place without the support from the government of China.
The quantity of cartons of donated items is up to 150, with a total value of more than 118,000 U.S. dollars.
Anthony Lupai Simon, director-general of Juba Teaching Hospital, said the medical supplies and equipment arrived at the hour of need.
Lupai said the work of the Chinese medical team is not limited to only the Juba Teaching Hospital, adding that the team has been also conducting medical outreach outside of Juba, the capital of South Sudan. For example, the Chinese medical team reached out to communities in Terekeka and recently they treated people living in the oil-rich Paloch area of Upper Nile state.
Xu Zhangwei, team leader of the Chinese medical team, said they are willing to continue to work more closely with Juba Teaching Hospital and contribute more to improving the health status of the people of South Sudan and deepening the friendship between the two peoples.
“In the past six months, we not only gave consultation to local patients and carried out many operations as scheduled, but also tried to combine TCM therapy with endoscopy and cervical diseases screening, and obtained a perfect effect,” he said.
Xu noted that they also arranged lectures and training for young medical staff in the anesthesiology, laboratory and infectious diseases departments. “Now we are preparing the first pathology center in Juba Teaching Hospital, to enrich the service scope of the hospital,” he added.
According to the medical team, the drugs and instruments donated are jointly purchased by China’s National Health Commission and the Anhui Provincial Health Commission, covering more than 280 types of basic drugs commonly used in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and endocrinology departments, as well as daily-using operating room consumables and instruments in otorhinolaryngology, gynecology and obstetrics, and general surgery departments.
The Chinese government also purchased anti-malaria materials such as long-acting medicated mosquito nets and anti-mosquito sprays.
The Chinese medical team has established an electronic gastroscope center, a cervical screening center, and a remote imaging diagnosis center at Juba Teaching Hospital. The team has also carried out onsite training programs for local medical personnel and invited 33 South Sudanese counterparts to China for further study. Enditem
